EDITION 9: Actually, celibacy is the answer if that's what ur feeling
Getting laid, razor blades, and cricket escapades. All that and more in the week that was in the world of Ad Land.
Well, well, well. It is I! The ads were good again this week, let’s get into it.
WHAT’S NEW IN THE BUMBLE FUMBLE DEBACLE
We didn’t comment on the whole Bumble fiasco when it was going down last week. Readers must remember that the purpose of this newsletter is to create a reference diary, so technically bad ads won’t be included. However, a rival dating app has joined the saga in a VERY creative way forcing us to talk about it. You can read up on the Bumble controversy here.
Our quick take; the insight was solid (people are indeed so frustrated by the dating scene that they just want to give up), but the execution misses the mark. Being sex positive means you respect all choices. Practicing celibacy is valid, and an app that has built their brand on being sex positive should be on the forefront of that movement. And that’s when new(ish) kid on the block, Feeld, decided to make their move.
Feeld describes itself as the dating app designed for “exploration, curiosity and pleasure.” The app wants it’s users to explore dating beyond the norm, with over 20 sexualities and gender identity options to choose from. And in response to the Bumble backlash, Feeld teamed up with agency Mojo Supermarket to respond by not only adding “celibacy” as an option in the app, but also finding some of Bumble’s outdoor executions that are still up and pasted over them with their ad. Bold and clever stuff!
THE ONLY TIME WE’VE ENJOYED SOMETHING CRICKET RELATED
Only somewhat true. Once my Dad was the third umpire when I was bowling, and the kid batting absolutely slapped it and Dad caught it. Even though he was umpiring, the batter was out, and Dad scored it as “Bowled by A Nash, caught by P Nash.” That sounds super mean of my father and I, however I believe the batter had been in for some time. I was a very bad bowler. And batter. I also found throwing and catching difficult, which is pretty much all fielding is.
With that said, I, receiver of the Encouragement Award for the under 10s team in 2008, am excited to say that Prime Video is the new home of ICC World Cup Cricket Australia. They’ve teamed up with Leo Burnett Australia and cricket legend Usman Khawaja to launch their new campaign. Leaning into horror movie tropes, the creative dramatises how cricket fever takes hold of the nation. And in this case, it’s spreading up and down Khawaja’s street.
This. This is the fucking STUFF. This ad is probably my favourite of the year so far. I’ve watched it at least ten times. The direction, the performances, the writing - it’s absolutely brilliant. The more you watch it, the more you pick up - which is an incredible feat for an ad in this day and age, and it’s only a minute long! This is the kind of shit that makes me want to live another day. This, my friends, is what it has all been for.
WE’RE ACTUALLY FKN SALIVATING OVER THIS RAZOR AD
Razor brand Wilkinson Sword has gone groovy with their campaign “Blade Masters since 1772” with a little help from independent creative agency Pablo. In a pretty hefty marketing investment, the campaign features several 30” spots showcasing the brand’s 250 year expertise in razor blades, while pointing out how useless a blunt razor is.
You can check out all the spots here on Oli Beale’s portfolio - he was a creative on the campaign, and his website is worth a squizz. But it’s not just the spots that we’re excited about, the campaign features some frankly excellent OOH copywriting. We would’ve loved to be in the room when they came up with these lines, it would have been a hoot.
Once again fellas, that’s truly the fkn stuff.
CLEVER COLLAB TO PROMOTE SUN SAFE DRINKING
Kopparberg - the unofficial drink of the UK summer - have teamed up with the LBBOnline and the Melanoma Fund to encourage young people to drink responsibly when they enjoy a suckle upon the sinful teat in the sun this summer. We like the play on words in this one. And we like how we can drink as much as we want as long as we’re being sun safe. Once again, that’s the fkn stuff.
EXPERIMENTAL OOH BABY!
Miami based dental brand, Sharp Dentistry, promoted its teeth whitening services with a creative OOH campaign. Insider sources are telling us, however, that you cannot get your teeth sharpened there. The search continues.
AS ALWAYS, TIKTOK FOR YOUR TROUBLES
We are absolutely obsessed with Fully Conscious Baby and all the memes that have come from it. The parents took down the original video because it went insanely viral, but you get the gist. Things to note; Fully Conscious Baby is actually a girl, despite much of the internet mistaking her for a boy. I did not have that problem as a little fella (very attractive baby). And it also seems to have the internet divided. People who have spent a lot of time with babies are saying that this is just a normal baby interaction, and the other half who haven’t hung out with a lot of them are completely taken aback by how self aware she is. Either way, we love Fully Conscious Baby.